Old School Rivermaya
Sorry but the e-heads are so overrated
the eraserheads? the band that pretty much paved the way for local bands to get airplay on local radio when the airwaves were plagued by ballads, "overrated"? they deserve every credit that have been given to them. it didn't take good looks for them to get noticed by everyone (which is more than i can say for bands these days). all they had were their talent and a few songs about everyday life. unlikely heroes, that's the charm of the
eraserheads. the four boy-next-door kids from UP who captivated the country with their music and changed music as we see it in the philippines. overrated, indeed.
i believe that the "old school
rivermaya" would have to be the most overrated band in the history of filipino music. i believe that
perf de castro and
bamboo, though good musicians in their own right, hindered
rico blanco's creativity and progress with the band.
rivermaya has always been all about
rico blanco, he penned the lyrics and wrote the music for the group.
it's not easy being green, a
rivermaya without
bamboo and
perf, is a testament to this. taking over vocal duties,
rico blanco came out of his musical shell and started writing some of the most original, refreshing and beautiful songs of the decade, and continues to do so to this day.
rico blanco deserves his place in the limelight. he is, and will always be,
rivermaya. the new
rivermaya is here to stay.
wolfgang? the band would have been great if they didn't have
leslie gemora as their drummer. a shame, really, the rest of the band are gifted enough to handle their positions well.
leslie gemora has got to be one of the worst drummers of all time. the way he attacks his skins are boring, repetitive and predictable, he doesn't lift the music at all. instead of adding subtance, he seems to strip it away from the rest of the band. a drummer should be able to make a good song into a great song. just listen to
jimmy's stuff on the early
pumpkin records.
P.O.T., though a great band in their own right, does not deserve to be labelled as "the greatest pinoy rock band of all time". in order for you to be the greatest, you would have to do great things. the band just hasn't done enough to be even considered for the coveted title. they've only released one album. one of their most popular songs from that album, "
yugyugan na" is just a cover version of the original hit by
the advisors. they were a band that had plenty of potential but never really got to tap into it as much. shame, really.
Yano, they could be considered as one of the greatest bands ever. why? alongside the
eraserheads, they've influenced a lot of bands. also, they were able to take a slice of the scene as their audience back when everyone was still listening to ballads. their folk-acoustic-punk-rock approach is unique and pleasing to the ears. also, they were never afraid to speak their minds, their tongue-in-cheek lyrics often speak of corruption in the country, everyday life, joining rallies and activism, just to name a few. this honesty in their music has made their songs into anthems for the average young filipino. sick and tired of copping bullsh*te from everyone, it's good to
stick it to the man while listening to
Dong Abay screaming
"TRAPO! TRAPO KA KASI!".
Yano did what they did best, play what they want to play and sung about what they're going through along the way, which i find admirable. there are already too many scenesters out there.
